A Permanent Gelatin Printing Plate (Hectograph), an Annoying Project & a Birthday Card…

…what a weekend! Let me start off with my annoying project of the week that I am bound and determined to complete this weekend…tearing out the kitchen vinyl floor.  It all started Tuesday night when I thought the dishwasher was leaking, some of the cheapo vinyl tiles we installed many years ago were lifting and since we planned on replacing the floor this year anyway I thought it would be a great time to rip them all out. Well, the wet tiles came up as easy as can be but the rest of the floor was another story. I figured that pouring boiling water over the tiles then scraping them up was the best route as the heat loosened the adhesive and the indestructible 1970′s toganol underneath would protect the sub-floor…oh did I mention we were going to go back the the glitter infused togonal until I decided what to replace it with? Oh yeah, baby, it is gold, black, brown and glitter, sweet! At lease muddy dog print don’t show ha ha! Well, the tiles were coming up but the floor has been so sticky with the adhesive from the tiles so now I am goo-goneing the entire floor (did I mention that the kitchen is my least favorite room?)  so I had to take a break, I took the boiling kettle I had been using to heat water for the floors and made myself a cup of tea and went to my studio and made a card:

My son has a birthday party to go to this afternoon and I did not want to buy something the kid would not like (read: Lindsay is too lazy to shop) so in the card it says “Here’s a birthday ‘stashe’ of cash” and a mustache cutout with some money. Clever.  Well, not that clever but I did use some the the gelatin print papers I made the other day AND I came up with a way to plasticize your gelatin so you can make a non spoiling gelli plate, yay, science! Here is the video:

Here is the permanent gelatin plate recipe, remember if you damage the plate you can nuke it on high in the microwave for a minute and reset it!

7 packets of gelatin (6Tablespoons)

mix into:

1 cup of alcohol mixed with 1/2 cup glycerin (room temperature)

then add:

1.5 cups boiling water and pour it into a shallow pan to set.

Well, it is back to the floors for me then I need to get cleaned up to take the boy to the party AND later my hubby is taking me to see the new Star Trek movie! Yay, science fiction! I’ll let you know how it is!

BTW, the dishwasher was not leaking, I found the leak under the sink when I was looking for the goo-gone, that’s a project for another day. Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

Take Out Box Favors!

Here is a fun quick idea you can make for a wedding OR change up the colors for a birthday party or bridal shower. I used 1 pint Carry Out boxes (50 boxes for $5.59) from Papermart as well as unstrung merchandise tags (I got a box of 1000 months ago and I find so many uses for them!) and don’t forget the ribbons! Have a look at this video to see how easy it is to make a truly custom favor box.

I love how you can get a custom look for pennies! Each box cost less than a quarter to make and you can make a huge batch in an afternoon and have supplies left over for other projects! Check out our sponsor Papermart for all of your packaging needs. Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

Another stamp giveaway & resist ink technique!

Howdy folks! Looks like another dreary day but that’s OK, I can always brighten things up with stamps and ink! You can win the set of 4 crane stamps from About Art Accents I used in today’s technique video by living a comment on this blog post. I will pick a winner at random next Tuesday! Today’s technique is really fun, you will need glossy cardstock (photo paper will not work for this because it soaks the ink in, I used Kromekote available at print shops for about 25 cents a 8.5″x11″ sheet) dye based ink and a make up sponge.

Now that was easy! Don’t forget to leave a comment to win the beautiful stamp set from About Art accents. If you can’t wait and want to shop now use my coupon code to save 10%: Lindsay10%.  Be sure to check out all the great sale items too! The stamp set I used today happens to be on sale along with many other beautiful sets. You won’t be disappointed. Good luck and til next time happy crafting!

Stamping with Watercolor Paint {use what you’ve got!}

Howdy friends! Today I have a quick, fun technique project for you that will have you making cards in minutes. Feel free to substitute supplies I used for ones you have on hand. You can use ANY watercolor paint for this. I use Gel Sticks on the card base but if you don’t have them try watercolor crayons, oil pastels or even kid’s crayons. It’s not about having the most resources at your disposal, it’s about being the most resourceful! Here is the video!

Here are a couple close ups of the quick cards from the video.

You can do this! You don’t need hours to create something worthwhile. Use those little snippets of time and make something wonderful! Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

USA Birthday Card!

Here is an easy card you can make for an enlisted friend or family member or for Operation Write Home:

I made this card for my niece’s husband who is leaving for basic training, it was also his birthday. I built it on a kraft cardbase, tore a book page and sprayed it with my homemade shimmer spray and layered an embossed blue panel that I glided a white Gel Stick on top to bring out the design. I stamped a never before inked Statue of Liberty and colored it with Gel Sticks. Added a few eyelets and a Happy Birthday sentiment and that was it! Easy peasy! Have a great Monday everyone and til next time happy crafting!

Embossed Acetate How-to Video & a Stamp Giveaway!

Howdy there!  I’m so happy today because I get to give away the beautiful Camellia Background stamp from About Art Accents I used on this card (a brand new one though) and all you need to do is leave a comment on this post to have a chance at winning. I’ll draw a name next Tuesday so be sure to sign up before then. Have you ever tried to heat emboss transparencies or vellum and ended up with a warped mess? Well, no more! I’ll show you how to do it right today even with the thinnest materials!

I used ink-jet transparencies on my project because one side has a coating that will allow ink or watercolors to dry on it, just like it does with printer ink. If you are using regular overhead transparencies or un-coated acetate you can still do this but instead of painting the backside with watercolors use acrylic paint and let it dry naturally. Watch the video to learn this technique and complete the card!

My favorite part about this card is how it shines, shimmers and changes depending on how it catches the light, photos do not do it justice.

I hope you enjoyed this technique and give it a try! Thanks for stopping by and till next time happy crafting!

A Baseball Birthday Card!

Howdy folks! My husband took our son to his first Red Sox game this weekend, he was over the moon about it! They both had a great time:) My son also had a baseball themed birthday party to attend this weekend so I made this card for the birthday-boy, also a Sox fan:

It is a double pocket card (tutorial here) and I used the Crafty Secrets stamps that I bought last year at the Heirloom stamp show, can you believe that it has taken me this long to get them inky?!?

I am keeping it short and sweet today but be sure to check back tomorrow for a giveaway! Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

DIY Frame Embossing Templates {video!}

Happy Friday friends! Boy, have I got a fun project for you to try this weekend! Making Your own embossing frames! These are cardboard frames you can cut and use with your embossing folders so you only emboss a section of your card and leave the rest flat for stamping like I did on this card:

Check out this video to see how it is done!

Here are some more examples:

I’m going to keep it short and sweet today, I made up a couple more batches of earrings yesterday and I need to package them up then load up the van with my craft fair stuff. I am feeling the panic I always do before a show ”Did I make enough stuff? Will anyone buy it?!?”  But in the end I know I will be fine, even if I sell nothing I’m only out the $15 for the table and I will have lots of new inventory for next time. Wish me luck! Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

You Can’t Expect Perfection 10 Minutes Before the Party!

Howdy crafters! First off let me apologize for email bombing you yesterday. I had taken some posts down a couple of years ago because the artwork was being published in magazines and I forgot to republish the posts after the magazines came out. So yesterday I figured I’d put the posts live again and they would be filed in on the dates that I created them, which they did, but also they were sent out as new posts to all of my subscribers…sorry about that. But at least you can see how far my photography has come over the years and hopefully my crafting ability too….well, maybe not in the case in this project:

I love making last-minute cards, especially for kids. My husband asked me yesterday “Why do you rush around to make a card last-minute for a kid [Disclaimer-referring to kids in general, not the kid this card was given too, he is a sweetie!] who won’t appreciate it?”  ”There’s no point stressing out when you can just buy a card at the store.” OK, two things here, I am not stressed out by making a last-minute card, it is freeing, I use my latest stamps, I will try a new technique and play with color, I don’t worry about perfection because a child does not judge a card and I am getting something done, it’s a card, it is made, it will never have to be made again unlike the floors that need to be re-swept  dished that need to be rewashed and all of the other daily drudgery that does stress me out. Making cards is fun and the bit about kids not appreciating it, I think they do like the handmade card especially if it reflects their personality.

I had some matching paper scraps on my table left over from craft fair packaging so I layered them on the envelope, did some stamping and slapped on a couple of pieces of washi tape, done! I love to be able to spend an hour on a card but I probably love slap-dash crafting even more! There is no time to worry when you only have 10 minutes, if you make a mistake work it into the design. And most importantly happy crafting!

 

Stamp credits: Look & 10: Crafty Secrets, Others: Stampin’ Up!

A Gift Fit For a Time Lord!

Howdy folks! I am still enjoying a fun-filled school vacation but I wanted to share something I made last week for a friend whose birthday was yesterday:

She is a big Doctor Who fan and I have her to thank for my current Doctor Who obsession. I’ll never forget last summer when she said “Hey Lindsay, have you ever watched the show Doctor Who?” Famous. Last. Words.

Sometimes I wonder if my handmade jewelry is a bit too gaudy for anyone to wear, we all receive the well intended gifts from relatives (too-big novelty Christmas sweater or plastic canvas tissue box cozy) so I figured if my necklace is to big and clunky to wear she can hang it out by her garden to scare away any crows (or the odd Dalek) that might come by!

in case you are wondering where I found that rad Dalek rubber stamp, I made it with my Stampmaker! That’s all for today! Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!